Poll: 68% Of Conservatives And 70% Of Tea Partiers Oppose Cuts To Medicare To Balance The Budget

A new McClatchy poll brings some bad news for Republicans in light of the House’s vote to adopt Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R., Wis.) budget proposal last week, which includes politically risky reforms to Medicare. According to the poll of registered voters, 80 percent oppose cutting Medicare and Medicaid to reduce the deficit, including 68 percent of self-identified conservatives and 70 percent of Tea Party supporters.

Granted, respondents aren’t asked to decide whether they would rather “reform Medicare for future retirees” (per the Ryan plan) or “do nothing and watch Medicare go bankrupt in nine years” (the ‘reelect Obama in 2012′ plan). But these results, which are consistent with those of similar polls, further underscore the momentous challenge facing Republicans as they attempt to sell Ryan’s plan to skeptical voters and limit the efficacy of Democratic demagoguery

By the way, the poll also indicates that 65% of voters – including 45% of conservatives/tea partiers – would support increasing taxes on those making more than $250,000 per year to balance the budget. So, in addition to the “gore someone else’s ox” position this is the “spend other people’s money” position.

Meanwhile, this is the level of discourse on Medicare and Medicaid cuts we’re getting from the Democrats:

I’ve said before that it may take an actual collapse of this nation’s finances before the public is awakened from stupid notion that we can balance the budget without cutting entitlements or by just taxing the rich.

Rob Port is the editor of SayAnythingBlog.com. In 2011 he was a finalist for the Watch Dog of the Year from the Sam Adams Alliance and winner of the Americans For Prosperity Award for Online Excellence. In 2013 the Washington Post named SAB one of the nation's top state-based political blogs, and named Rob one of the state's best political reporters.